Popular
by the mirror girl
Summary: Bones is in high school, as a social outcast. But by chance, she sits beside a popular girl, and she is changed, but can she become a Popular Girl?


**Hello everyone!**

**This is my first Bones fan fiction, so let me know what ye all think, and if I should write any more one shots. **

**This is the song Popular from the musical Wicked. It's one of my favourite songs, like, ever.**

**Enjoy!**

Temperance Brennan was in her Junior Year in High School. She was a genius, and no one denied this. She was an A student in every subject, though her favourite subject was easily Biology and Chemistry. She even corrected the teacher from time to time. But the downside of this was, because she was so dedicated to her school work, and because she was so blunt and abrasive all the time, she had no friends.

Usually Temperance sat on her own in every class, mainly because she did not want anyone to distract her, and also because no one wanted to sit beside the "freaky genius girl". But one day, the "popular" girl, Hannah had arrived in late to Biology class. All the other desks were taken, so she had to sit beside Temperance. She smiled as she sat down. Temperance, not being used to friendly gestures made by her classmates, smiled back uncertainly.

"Hey." Hannah said, cheerfully.

"Hey, we aren't really supposed to-" Temperance began, but the teacher glared at them and said "How nice of you to turn up, Hannah. I hope this class has not caused too much inconvenience to you...?"

"Sorry Sir. Car troubles." Hannah apologised, flashing her dazzling smile.

"And Temperance, how about you pay attention to the class instead of chatting away?"

"Actually Sir, I do not feel the need to pay attention as this is something we have all done at least three times. We all know what the difference between animal and plant cells, and I, for one would appreciate it if we could move on to something more challenging." Temperance met his gaze and held it.

"How would you like to take that up with me during detention when you are writing out this chapter?" The teacher smiled at her in a condescending way, as if to say "I know better than you. Your knowledge is nothing in comparison to mine."

"Sir, that is totally unfair. I was the one talking to her, not the other way around." Hannah said, standing up for Temperance. _Wow, _Temperance thought, _no one has ever done that for me before._

"We can have a nice chat, Temperance, you and myself in detention. And then you can both write out the chapter for me, twice!" Hannah moaned in protest. "Now can we get back to work, or is there anything else that you would like to add?"

"Sorry, sir." Hannah said again, staring at the page.

Temperance ripped out a page from her journal and wrote "Thank you." on it. She passed this to Hannah when the teacher's back was turned.

"No problem!" Hannah mouthed back, smiling.

At lunch break, Temperance got her food from the cafeteria and sat at one of the tables at the back. She always got a table to herself, which gave her time to start her homework or study.

"Hey, Temperance! Come sit with us!" Hannah called to her when she was walking towards a vacant table and beckoned her over.

Temperance was nervous. She had never sat with anyone at lunch. What would she say? What would they be talking about?

Hannah sat at a table with another girl, Angela, who was gorgeous and excelled in art. They always sat together. No one else dared to sit with them, for fear of being told to go away. Usually, some boy or other would offer to buy them lunch, but Angela and Hannah always politely told them "No, we can buy our own food, but thank you!" Today was no different. As soon as Temperance sat down, a boy Temperance knew from her Chemistry class, Jack, offered to buy Angela her lunch. She turned him down, but the minute he was out of earshot, Angela whispered to Hannah and Temperance, "Hey, that guy is cute. In a dorky kind of way, but cute nonetheless."

"Not my kinda guy, although I do agree, he is cute" Hannah said, smiling. She was always smiling. It put Temperance on edge a little. "I'm more into muscly, tough guys like that Booth guy" she said, nodding to the jock table. Booth was messing around with the other jocks, and they were all laughing.

"What about you, Temperance?" Hannah turned to her, "Which guy do you think is cute?"

Temperance was nervous at being addressed like that, as if her opinion actually mattered to this gorgeous girl. She looked around the room, trying to find someone that she found attractive. Her eyes settled on the jock table as well.

"Well, on a purely scientific point of view, I would say it would have to be Seeley as well. He has the best symmetry out of everyone here." Temperance said. She was honest and held nothing back, as she always was. She never lied about anything.

"I like her." said Angela, laughing.

Temperance smiled nervously. A popular girl, liking, _her? _It did not make sense. And to Temperance, everything had to make sense.

"You'll fit right in here" Hannah agreed.

Hannah and Temperance were sitting in detention, bored out of their minds. Temperance had finished her homework about half an hour ago, and was writing out the chapter on cells. It was so mind-numbingly boring that her thoughts drifted back to the question, _Why would the popular girls like me, _me_, of all people?_

Hannah turned to her and rolled her eyes. There was five minutes left until they were free. Temperance smiled back.

Finally, the bell rang, freedom!

"Well, I hope you learned your lesson today, girls." the teacher said, sternly.

"Yes sir" they chorused back, before quickly leaving the room.

"Hey, Temperance, do you want to shopping with Angela and I tomorrow? It'll be fun!" Hannah asked. Tomorrow was Saturday, and Temperance usually spent Saturday studying, but this felt more important, and she was thrilled to be invited.

"Yes, I believe that would be most enjoyable." Temperance managed to say.

"Great! Here's my cell phone number, call me when you've asked your 'rents!" Hannah said, handing her a piece of paper.

"What are 'rents? I do not rent anything" Temperance was very confused by this term.

"Your parents?" Hannah translated, laughing a little at Temperance's confused expression

"Oh! It's slang! I understand now. I will call you tonight. Goodbye Hannah." Temperance said, politely

"Bye!"

Temperance held the piece of paper and watched as Hannah got into her car. When she had gone, Temperance started on the short walk home. She knew she would be in trouble for getting home so late and for getting detention, but for once, she really did not care about getting into trouble. She was too happy to be worrying about anything.

When she got home, her foster parents were gone out somewhere. They got home late that evening and obviously did not know that Temperance had been late getting home. When she asked could she go shopping the next day with a few friends, they were more than happy to let her go. It was the first time Temperance had asked to go anywhere with friends.

"She's growing up" her foster mother said happily when Temperance was out of earshot.

"That she is, alright, that she is."

"Hello, Hannah, it's Temperance here." Temperance said down the phone. She had called Hannah that night after she had asked her foster parents permission. She had been so happy when they had said yes.

"Heya Temperance! How are you?" Hannah asked, happy as always.

"I'm fine. And yourself?"

"I'm great! So...Are you allowed to go tomorrow?" Hannah sounded like she would be really disappointed if Temperance said no.

"Yes. They were very happy when I asked them"

"Yay! See you at the mall at 2 then?"

"Yes. That would be convenient for me."

"Bye then!"

"Goodbye."

Temperance Brennan was actually going to a mall with Hannah and Angela. Was this really happening?

When they all met up in the mall, Angela moaned that she had had no caffeine intake that day, and that she felt like just falling asleep right there and then. To stop her moaning, Hannah dragged them to a coffee shop and ordered them all cappuccinos.

"Ah, that's so much better" Angela sighed happily after she had taken the first sip of her coffee.

"Will you stop complaining now?" Hannah asked, not unkindly.

"Maybe" Angela laughed.

"So, Temperance" Hannah turned to her, smiling, "Now that we're friends, Angela and I" she gestured toward Angela as she said it, "have decided to make you our new project." Angela nodded happily over her coffee, a foam moustache on her top lip.

"You guys really do not have to do that." Temperance said shaking her head. When she thought of project, she thought of a frog pinned down to a board, waiting to be dissected. And that was the way that Angela and Hannah were looking at her too.

"We know, that's what makes us so nice!" Angela laughed.

"You see, whenever we see someone less fortunate than us-" Hannah began.

"And let's face it, who isn't less fortunate than us." Angela pitched in. She said it in a joking way, obviously not meaning it to be offensive or anything.

"Our tender hearts tends to start to bleed. And when someone needs a makeover well, we simply _have_ to take over. I mean, look at us. We clearly know exactly what they need. Other people just don't see what we see." Hannah smiled. She clearly knew that she was gorgeous. Temperance respected that. She liked that Hannah wasn't one of those girls who knows that they're good looking but claim otherwise to get compliments. That annoyed Temperance a lot.

"And even in your case, though it's the toughest case we've yet to face, we'll help you. I don't mean it in a mean way. You're just not that socially well, smart, though you are a genius in every other way" Angela said, not unkindly.

"I know I am a genius. And I do not take offence. But are you sure this could work? It does not make sense scientifically. It has always been that smart people were not as liked as beautiful people like you two." Temperance was doubtful, understandably. Who wouldn't be in her place?

"I _really_ like her!" laughed Angela, wiping the foam off of her top lip.

"Don't worry! We're determined to succeed, follow our lead and yes, indeed, you will be..." Hannah trailed off.

"I will be what, exactly?" asked Temperance, confused. She hated when people did not finish their sentences.

"POPULAR!" Hannah and Angela said together, looked at each other and erupted into fits of giggles.

They sat together and finished their drinks. Angela and Hannah kept looking over Temperance.

"Can you two stop that?" she demanded.

"Stop what?" Angela asked, confused.

"Looking at me like I'm some form of toy. I find it very unnerving" Temperance said, sounding annoyed,

"Sorry." they chorused, sounding like they weren't very sorry at all.

"Hmm."

They were looking through clothes shops in the mall. It felt like there were hundreds, though they had only been in about ten of them.

"Popular! You're going to be popular!" Hannah kept squealing.

"We'll teach you the proper ploys when you talk to boys, little ways to flirt and flounce. The ways that we have mastered, and soon you will too." Angela said, knowledgeably.

"We'll show you what shoes to wear, how to fix your hair, everything that really counts to be popular." Hannah added. Temperance held up a pair of shoes that she thought were nice, but Hannah and Angela grimaced and put them back, eyeing a pair of strappy sandals.

"Sweetie, we'll help you be popular. Let us pick the clothes." Angela said, almost pityingly. Temperance felt out of her depth with these two girls, they knew so much more than she did about these things. Usually she knew more than everyone else. It was a strange experience.

"You'll hang with the right cohorts, like us. And you'll be good at sports." Hannah said.

"I am already very skilled at sports. I am fully qualified in self defence. I have excellent reflexes." Temperance pointed out.

"Great! Saves us something to teach you!" Angela laughed.

"We'll help you with the slang you've got to know, because we all know you have problems with that, honey." Hannah said, looking at a very see through top.

"So let's start, because you have got an awful long way to go." Angela said, this time she definitely sounded pitying. For the first time in her life, Temperance felt self-conscious. Was her social awkwardness really that noticeable?

"Don't be offended by our frank analysis though, think of it more as personality dialysis." Hannah said, taking Temperance's hand and squeezing it reassuringly. She had obviously seen the hurt look on Temperance's face and felt guilty.

"Yeah, now that we've become your pals, your sisters." Angela said, with a friendly smile.

"And advisers! There's really no one wiser! At least, not when it comes to popular. We know about popular." Hannah added.

"Yes, you've mentioned about being popular." Temperance said. Hannah held up a black, close fitting dress against Temperance, nodded, and told her to go try it on.

"She's so innocent and hapless!" Angela cooed when Temperance was out of earshot.

"I know, right? I'm so happy that we're doing this for her! Imagine the faces on everyone in school on Monday! They won't recognise her!" Hannah said, gleefully.

"The boys will be thanking us so much!" Angela squealed.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Temperance asked them both when she emerged from the changing room. She was wearing the dress, and it looked amazing on her. She looked like a model in it. Hannah and Angela nodded to each other approvingly.

"Well... When we see depressing creatures with unprepossessing features, we remind them on their own behalf to think of celebrated heads of state or specially great communicators. Did they have brains or knowledge?" Hannah asked, sounding sarcastic.

"Well, yes. To write good speeches and to run a state they must be knowledgeable in many different areas." Temperance answered, sounding puzzled.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh! They were popular! Please! It's all about popular. It's not about aptitude, it's the way you're _viewed. _So it's very shrewd to be very very popular like, well, me!" Hannah said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which made Temperance feel like an idiot.

After they had bought a mountain of clothes that Temperance would never have dreamed of wearing and after the girls had showed her what make-up to wear, how to apply it, etc., they brought Temperance to get her hair cut. Temperance had long hair, past her shoulder blades, that she tied up to keep out of the way. But that was about to change.

Hannah and Angela told the hairdresser to cut her hair so it just reached past her shoulders, give it choppy layers and to give her full bangs.

"Won't that get in the way of my eyes and be irritating when I am trying to study?" Temperance asked, not entirely liking the idea.

"Trust me, it will look amazing." Angela reassured her.

"OK." Temperance gave in. She watched the pile of hair on the ground grow in size. Her head felt really light.

When he was finished, Temperance ran her fingers through her hair. It was so _short_! What would her parents say. _I doubt they would mind, really. They will be happy that I'm trying out new things._

"Do you like it?" Hannah asked, anxiously.

"Yes, I do, actually. Thank you" Temperance said, whilst staring at her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognised herself now.

"I really should go home now. Thank you for everything, see you on Monday!" Temperance said to them, before she left the salon.

_I can not believe I am doing this._

Temperance Brennan, who never cared about her appearance or what other people thought of her, was straightening her hair.

It was 6 AM on Monday morning, and she was getting ready for school. She was just out of the shower. She stood in her dressing gown, drying and straightening her hair.

_I can not believe I am doing this..._

Everyone stared at her when she walked into school that day. Her eyes were perfectly lined, her cheeks rouged, her lips a clear glossy colour. She wore a pair of dark blue tight jeans with leather boots coming up to her knees and a white shirt with a belt around her waist. Her hair fell into her eyes. Her perfume drifted along after her. Everyone was staring after her.

"Temperance? Is that you?" Jack stopped in front of her, peering at her, clearly gobsmacked.

"Yes. It is." she replied.

Angela and Hannah ran up to her.

"Look at you! You're beautiful!" Angela squealed.

"Thank you." Temperance said, smiling.

During lunch break, Temperance, Angela and Hannah sat together at the table. Everyone whispered when Temperance walked past. She found this quite irritating.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." reassured Hannah.

"I hope so." Temperance muttered. "Hannah, am I...popular?" she asked, nervously.

"Yes. You are. Welcome to our world." Hannah laughed.

A new world. But now that she was in it, was it really worth it?

"Hey, Temperance, can I buy you lunch?" asked Booth.

Yes. It was worth it.

**Did ye like it?**

**Let me know!**

**I might write some more one shots.**

**You should look up the song, it's so cool xD**

**Review please!**

**Paula**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


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